


The Cradle of the End of the World

by Lavanya_Six



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Gen, Ice-9, One Shot, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-17
Updated: 2011-10-17
Packaged: 2017-10-24 17:23:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/265986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavanya_Six/pseuds/Lavanya_Six
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Aang had frozen more than just himself?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cradle of the End of the World

Zuko runs cold. He follows Sokka's lead across the ocean surface, fighting the urge to ignite. Everything not numb hurts. He winks back at the boy's sister, who is exhaling snowflakes. Uncle will chide him when he tells this story for forgetting her name.

Sokka halts. "Anyone hear that?"

The pounding stride of a pack of polar bear dogs bearing slavers is a distinct sound.

Shameful fear wells up within Zuko, followed by the thought that the man who cut out his right eye might be among their number.

"Stop!" the sister pleads, adding a swat for good measure. Steam is roiling off his skin. Only cowards and traitors die cold. "You'll just help them find us!" Her breath still falls as powdered snow.

"They already have our scent."

Sokka walks between them. Zuko isn't sure who he is going to side with. Either guess turns out to be wrong. "Boy, if only we had two benders trained to dig." Trained by the lash, that is.

"I'm not hiding!"

"Gotcha. Katara, how's living sound to you?"

"Pretty great."

"Fine!" Zuko tears off his gloves. "Let's do that. Because it's not like they won't have benders with them."

The girl grins easily. "Good thing they have to bring their earth with them."

She honestly believes that. "You're a real idiot." He'll have to remember to tell Uncle that, too.

 

* * *

 

Zuko dares supply them only a candle's worth of hungry flame to work by. Unlike earth, ice doesn't compress. It should take three waterbenders to manipulate the ice for them to move so quickly.

Seeing her work, Zuko understands why the Flying Boar Clan really loosed so many dogs on them. What's a pretender prince to a dead throne actually worth? Out on the Curse, only an extra pair of hands to salvage Great-Grandfather's fleet for lost technology.

"Hey." Sokka pokes him. "Been wondering. You have any spooky inside knowledge about the Curse?"

"How should I know?"

"Well, it _is_ your fault." Meaning his bloodline's. Or the Fire Nation's. Either way...

"Is not!"

"Uh-huh. So half the world just randomly freezes after you people kill the Avatar."

"Quiet!" Katara snaps. "You're wasting our air."

"So?" Sokka points up. "Open a hole."

The roof collapses, splashing them all with ice bent to water.

It's a fast, clumsy fight, ending with Katara forcing the water back up, sealing them in a squat ice coffin submerged to their knees.

They're still dead.

Cursed ice freezes any water it touches, especially so near the Curse's heart. An ice skin instantly grows atop the shallow pool.

"BOIL IT!" Sokka shouts. "HANDS UNDERWATER!"

Zuko punches the slush and burns. It thaws. The water even begins to rise.

"I can't hold them forever!" shouts Katara.

He'll never see Uncle again. He's going to drown in glowing Cursed wat-

Wait. Glowing?

"DON'T BOIL _US_!"

The water is bubbling. Zuko smells... fresh air. What? "I'm not! It's-"

The floor collapses. They fall into a riot of light.

 

* * *

 

"And that," he tells Uncle, "is how we found the Avatar."


End file.
